Soviet Unterzgersdorf is a fun, albeit short, freeware adventure game with a unique premise: “Soviet Unterzgersdorf (pronounced oon-taa-tsee-gars-doorf) is the last existing appanage republic of the USSR. The enclave maintains no diplomatic relationship with the surrounding so-called Republic of Austria or with the Fortress European Union. The downfall of her motherland — the Soviet Union — in the early 1990s had a particularly bad effect on the countrys economic situation. It is a great challenge to secure survival for the small but proud confederation. External reactionary forces put the country in danger. Its a lack of respect due to a morally corrupted and perhaps even non-existing unity of the peoples. The goal of a glorious future is almost unreachable. But there are a handful of people who dont give up on a vision for a better tomorrow. Let us tell you the stories of the brave citizens in the beautiful little country of Soviet Unterzgersdorf.”

The game is a lot of fun to play, mostly because of its funny jokes and humorous swipes at the USSR and communism that remind me fondly of the movie Goodbye Lenin. Although puzzles are too easy and the game overall is a tad too short (the designers are asking for donations to help develop sequels), the humor does carry the game all the way to completion. Digitized graphics and voice-acting are both excellent (I don’t understand Russian, but it does sound like voice-actors did a great job sounding like USSR ‘comrades’ ). I imagine the game is even funnier in German, which is the native language before it was translated. If you are looking for a unique and fun adventure game set in the present day, look no further than this solid effort from an Austrian team. Two thumbs up!